Sanity CMS Development
Structured content at scale — custom Sanity schemas, GROQ queries, and real-time editing.
Sanity as your content platform
Sanity is not a traditional CMS. It is a structured content platform — a database for content with a fully customisable editing experience. I build custom schemas, custom input components, and custom desk tools that match exactly how your team thinks about content.
What I build with Sanity
Sanity pairs best with Next.js and Astro. I set up the full stack: custom content schemas, real-time previews, image pipelines via Sanity CDN, and GROQ queries optimised for your rendering strategy (SSG, ISR, or SSR).
Why Sanity over other headless CMS options
Sanity's content lake is portable — your content is never locked to a vendor's proprietary format. GROQ is more powerful than REST for complex content queries. And the Studio customisation gives editors exactly the workflow they need, not a generic interface.
Common questions
What is GROQ and why does it matter?
GROQ is Sanity''s query language. It is more expressive than REST for content queries — you can fetch deeply nested content, filter by reference, and join across documents in a single query. It significantly reduces the number of API calls in complex content architectures.
Can you set up real-time preview with Sanity?
Yes — Sanity''s live preview connects the Studio to your frontend in real-time. Editors see changes as they type, before publishing. I set this up with both Next.js (Draft Mode) and Astro.
How do you handle images in Sanity?
Sanity''s image pipeline (Sanity CDN + transformation API) handles responsive images, format conversion, and lazy loading. I configure next/image or custom picture elements to use Sanity CDN URLs with the correct parameters.
Can multiple content editors use Sanity at once?
Yes — Sanity Studio has real-time collaboration built in. Multiple editors can work on different documents simultaneously. Presence indicators show who is editing what.
Is Sanity expensive?
The free tier covers most small to medium projects (3 users, 10GB bandwidth). Growth plan starts at $15/month. For most client sites, the free or growth tier is sufficient.
Ready to get started?
Free consultation. No commitment. Just an honest conversation about your project.
Let's build
something together.
Whether it's a migration, a new build, or an SEO challenge — the Social Animal team would love to hear from you.